Timo Werner is contemplating his future at Chelsea after losing his spot in the starting line-up to Romelu Lukaku.
According to The Telegraph, the German international will pursue a move back to the Bundesliga next summer if he’s unable to regain a place in the team.
Werner’s confidence suffered during a testing first season at Chelsea where his goalscoring touch seemed to desert him.
After registering 34 goals in all competitions in his final year at RB Leipzig, he managed a disappointing tally of just 12.
It was a poor return for the £47.5million signing, who routinely got into the right positions but failed to convert some gilt-edged chances.
Although Chelsea managed to win the Champions League, with makeshift striker Kai Havertz scoring the only goal in the final against Manchester City, Thomas Tuchel set his sights on a clinical finisher to build on that unexpected success.
Romelu Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge for a club-record £97.5million fee in August and made an immediate impression.
He scored the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Arsenal and followed that up with a brace against Aston Villa to underline his credentials.
But Lukaku’s impressive start has come at Werner’s expense, with the 25-year-old often consigned to a place on the bench.
He started at home to Manchester City last weekend, and his electric pace proved a threat, but a first league goal of the season remained elusive.
Several high-profile moves are expected next summer and Werner could find himself involved if his situation doesn’t improve.
Kylian Mbappe is widely tipped to join Real Madrid, which could prompt Paris Saint-Germain to move for Robert Lewandowski.
If the Polish striker leaves Bayern Munich, Julian Nagelsmann has identified Werner as a potential replacement after the success they enjoyed together at Leipzig.
